Girls' name · since 1951
Vannessa
Vannessa has 3,231 recorded births since 1951 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1987 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- 3,231
- total births
- 1951–2022
- years on record
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 24%
- born in that decade
Vannessa sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 3,231 recorded since 1951.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Vannessa has been recorded 3,231 times among girls since 1951, though it is not among the currently most-used girls names, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1951 to 2022.
- 3,231 total births
- 1951–2022 years on record
- 1990s peak decade
- 24% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
3,231 girls have been named Vannessa since 1951, peaking in the 1990s, last recorded in 2022.
- 3,231
- total births
- 1951–2022
- years on record
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 24%
- born in that decade
24% of everyone ever named Vannessa was born in this single decade.
123 babies were named Vannessa in 1987 - its busiest year on record.
Vannessa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Vannessa's SSA record in two at 1987 and the more recent half accounts for 53% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 47%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 2018, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1987 peak of 123, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Vannessa at a glance
Last recorded 2022Peak year
Current rank
Active since
Vannessa popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1951–2022
- Peak year (1987)
- 123
- Annual births at peak, across 72 years of records
No longer in the modern top-1000, last recorded 2022.
3,231 total births across 72 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1987 with 123 births in a single year.
Vannessa by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Vannessa's strongest decade.
785 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Vannessa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s
1950s
375 births
- 1960s
1960s
366 births
- 1970s
1970s
353 births
- 1980s
1980s
761 births
- 1990s
1990s
785 births
- 2000s
2000s
428 births
- 2010s 142
2010s
142 births
- 2020s 21
2020s
21 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 785 births (24% of all-time use).
Vannessa decade highlights
- Peak decade 785 births
- Runner-up 761 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
How Vannessa compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Vannessa's total volume
Vannessa vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Vannessa by state
Where Vannessa concentrates geographically, total births since 1951
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 723 | 22.4% |
| #2 | Texas | | 272 | 8.4% |
| #3 | Florida | | 98 | 3.0% |
| #4 | New York | | 64 | 2.0% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 29 | 0.9% |
| #6 | New Jersey | | 21 | 0.6% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 17 | 0.5% |
| #8 | Arizona | | 15 | 0.5% |
723 of 3,231 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 14 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- California 22.4% of nationwide
- Texas 8.4% of nationwide
- Florida 3.0% of nationwide
- New York 2.0% of nationwide
- Illinois 0.9% of nationwide
Recorded in 14 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
California accounts for 22.4% of all recorded births nationwide - a strong regional concentration for this name.
Vannessa appears in 14 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Vannessa? ▼
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What to do with Vannessa's data
- Vannessa's decade-level peak was the 1990s (785 total births); usage has since declined to 21 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Vannessas (723 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Vannessa
Nearby Names Like Vannessa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Vannessa
Compare Vannessa side by side: Vannessa vs Vanessa Vannessa vs Vanesa Vannessa vs Vania
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1951–2022 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Vannessa: Baby Name Since 1951 - 3,231 Births, Peak 1987." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/vannessa. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Vannessa draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
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NameAlmanac Editorial
Independent public-data reference that compiles, verifies, and contextualizes official datasets. We do not accept compensation from entities we cover, and every dataset cites its originating public source.